It’s hard to imagine a better ski hill for a day of varied skiing than Copper Mountain. By luck or planning, the hill divides itself nicely into a tough side (to the east) for ambitious morning runs, an intermediate sliver in the middle (the lunch zone) and a big mess of easy runs to the west for afternoon schussing.

Here’s your cheat sheet: Park in the East Village lot and score a seat on the six-passenger Super Bee lift to the top of the mountain. Four or five runs in and around the Alpine and Resolution lifts, and your knees will tell you it’s time for lunch — or at least, a hot chocolate, which you’ll find at Solitude Station at the base of the Excelerator lift.

Next, a trip or two up the busy American Eagle lift for a bit of social skiing (this is the most heavily populated lift with the longest lines, perfect for chatting with strangers, which is one of the reasons you ski anyway) and well-groomed intermediate trails.

Then skip over to the Sierra Lift, which takes you to the top of Roundabout, one of Colorado’s great, long, lazy afternoon glides.

(Expert thrillseekers will want to add a few runs at the top of the hill, where the Union and Spaulding bowls are serviced by surface lifts and where the views, on clear days, are some of Colorado’s best. Hit these before the afternoon wind picks up, or expect a Suzi Chapstick “before” face at the end of the day.)

Need a break? Grab a bite at the T-Rex Grill at the base of the Timberline Express lift.

Thus fortified, you’ll want a trip or two up the Lumberjack lift and the wooded trails it services, before dropping down to the Center Village base — Copper’s beating heart — for an après-ski brew and the shuttle back to your car.

Also nice: Copper’s about 90 minutes from Denver, so it’s an easy day ski.

Here’s where Copper gets tricky: Altitude. With a base elevation of 9,700-odd feet and a peak that tops out well north of 12,000, it’s not for the faint of lung. But that’s nothing a Centennial State-er can’t handle. Just breathe deep and take it slow.

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